Norfolk Southern Corp. could start construction by the end of November on the $60.5 million expansion of its Rutherford intermodal rail facility in Swatara Township, said Dave Pidgeon, company spokesman.

But Swatara Township officials are concerned about the project because of the lack of control the township has on it, township administrator Paul Cornell said.

In fact, Cornell said the township has "zero control" over it. However, it appears the company is making some effort to work with the township on the matter.

"It will have a positive impact on the region, but it will have an impact on our residents," Cornell said. "Those are the things the people I report to will be concerned about."

Construction should take about two years on the project, which is expanding operations at the intermodal rail facility that works with trucks and trains to move cargo, Pidgeon said.

Once complete, Norfolk Southern expects to have 48 new jobs on-site at the intermodal rail facility. The expansion should support another 350 jobs as part of a "spillover economic impact" at places like hotels, gas stations and other businesses.

The rail facility goes from the 63rd Street overpass to about 50th Street, Cornell said. Derry Street and Grayson Road also border it.

Railroad projects are not subject to local ordinances because they are under the jurisdiction of the Surface Transportation Board of the United States, Pidgeon said. But the company has volunteered to let the township's engineer review the project's land development plans and inspect the facility during construction, Pidgeon said. The company also has agreed to reimburse the township for those costs.

"They have questions and concerns, and we want to make sure we're being as cooperative to the best of our ability," Pidgeon said.

Cornell, however, said Norfolk Southern's offer specifically has to do with stormwater management system, which the engineer will review to make sure it's in compliance with the township's ordinance.

Cornell doesn't expect any issues with the project's stormwater management. But if the engineer sees any issues and the company doesn't address them, the township then would bring it to the attention of the state's Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said.

The company, for the most part, doesn't have to adhere to township ordinances regarding land development or construction, Cornell said. That means, the township has no say in items it normally would for projects going through its land development process -- such as setback, buffer zones, and traffic ingress and egress.

One of the township's concerns regarding the expansion has to do with where Norfolk Southern Corp.'s traffic would enter and exit the Rutherford intermodal rail facility once completed, Cornell said.

Triple Crown Corp., a Norfolk Southern subsidiary, has a new entrance and exit on Grayson Road near the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, 7790 Grayson Road. While that creates "heavy traffic, it works," Cornell said.

Cornell understands vehicles could use that spot as Norfolk Southern expands the facility during construction -- which Pidgeon estimates will take about two years. But, following construction, nearby roads and intersections don't have the capacity to handle the amount of traffic that would come with the expanded intermodal facility.

The company had promised to continue using its current entrance and exit on Penhar Drive and Paxton Street, Cornell said. Pidgeon said the company would use all access points to the facility during construction, but he did not address which spot trucks would use after the expansion is complete.

Cornell said the expansion should increase traffic on Route 322 and in the general vicinity. But if the company continues to use the Penhar Drive and Paxton Street entrance/exit, it shouldn't be an issue.

Though, he also expected the expansion would increase noise for nearby residents. Cornell said that's been one of the biggest complaints from the existing yard.

The township gets complaints from people in Lawnton and Chambers Hill in the fall and the spring, Cornell said. Residents with their windows open at night can hear vehicles' backup alarms.

Norfolk Southern has received concerns about crane alarms and is looking at ways to address those concerns, Pidgeon said.

"Safety, though, is paramount, and those alarms serve a safety purpose with people working and vehicles moving on that facility, and safety simply cannot be ignored," Pidgeon said.

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